Photo Insights Dec. '12

Jim Zuckerman’s

PH OTO I N S I G HTS December 2012

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Protecting highlights Landscape photography Topaz Simplify 4 Student showcase Photo tours

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Table of Contents 4. PROTECTING HIGHLIGHTS 10. TOPAZ SIMPLIFY 4 14. WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? 16. SHORT AND SWEET 18. ASK JIM 20. LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY 23. STUDENT SHOWCASE 26. PHOTOSHOP WORKSHOP

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Many years ago I listened to a radio talk show psychologist in Los Angeles, and she would often speak about ‘moving through your fears’. She said it was ok to be afraid of something, but the fear shouldn’t stop you from doing what you really wanted to do.

I never forgot that. I know that in the photographic realm, people are afraid and insecure about many things. For example, cleaning the sensor (fear of damaging it) is a big one. The fear of asking strangers to take their picture (fear of rejection) is another. How about the fear of using flash? I would say that most photographers -- professional as well as amateur -- are afraid of that (fearing poor exposures, terrible shadows, and black backgrounds). Being extremely insecure and even afraid about traveling to another country is another problem for many people. Even for me, when I arrive at some exotic country for the first time, I am not comfortable at all. That may be surprising since I’ve been to 89 countries, but yet the fear persists.

What I use to force myself to move through the fear and insecurity of being in a totally foreign environment is the great photography I look forward to. The desire to take outstanding images is extremely strong in me, and this is the technique I use for managing the fear. Use whatever technque works for you to move through your own fears because in the end the rewards make the fears seem insignificant.

Jim photos@jimzuckerman.com www.jimzuckerman.com 3

Protecting Vulnerable Highlghts

Great egret, St. Augustine, Florida

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he reason why many photographers are glued to the histogram in their camera is because they are looking for one thing: Is the graph spiking on the right side? If so, that indicates blown out areas of the image. Extreme overexposure, i.e. blowing the highlights, means that certain areas of the image are so light that they become solid white with a complete loss of texture and detail. There are exceptions to every rule, but in 99.9% of your pictures, this is the last thing you want.

Once the highlights are blown, you can’t bring back detail that has been lost. The recovery or highlight slider in Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom can make blown highlights darker by introducing a grayish tone (i.e density), but density is not detail.

Digital sensors are not as sophisticated as our eye/ brain combination. We can see subtleties of tone and texture even in the whitest of subjects -- snow,

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white feathers, the texture on a wall painted white, an egg shell, and so on. Digital sensors can show texture and detail, of course, but if a composition has a range of tones from dark to light, such as the picture of the egret, above, the sensor can’t readily show detail in both the shadows and the highlights. No matter what exposure mode you use -- aperture priority, shutter priority, manual, or Program -- and no matter what metering mode you choose -- matrix, evaluative, center weighted, partial, spot -- the bright highlights too often become overexposed. Most of the time this destroys the picture My solution to this is simple. I habitually underexpose my images by 1/3 or 2/3 f/stop, depending on how bright the light subject is. I know many professional photographers and photo instrutors disagree with me on this (I even had two of my photographer friends roll their eyes when they heard me lecture on this subject), but I can tell you that in eight years of using a digi-

Glacial ice, Jokulsarlon lagoon, Iceland

tal camera, I have never taken pictures in which the highlights are blown. And, at the same time, I don’t need to constantly check the histogram. This saves a lot of time, and when shooting fast this could mean the difference between getting the shot or losing it.

The objections to underexposing digital pictures that I hear over and over again are: 1. Digital noise will be increased, and 2. Most of the information in a digital image is on the right side of the histogram (in the highlight areas), and by underexposing you will be throwing away important detail in the picture.

Regarding the first objection, a 1/3 or 2/3 f/stop underexposure is not enough to increase noise in a decent camera. Perhaps in a 2003 point and shoot model noise might be increased slightly, but not in a good DSLR.

Regarding the second point, it has not been my experience at all that I’m throwing away crucial detail with underexposure. When shadows are dark, even hopelessly so, they can often be brought back to show incredible detail if you shoot in RAW mode. However, once highlights are overexposed, there is no way to recover that detail unless you clone a similar, adjacent area into the blown out portion of the photo using Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.

In addition to underexposure, you can prevent blown highlights by avoiding extreme contrast. This isn’t always possible, of course, and sometimes very contrasty compositions make dynamic images such as the photo of glacial ice, above. Shooting into the sun creates extreme contrast, and in this case I did that purposely. However, I used a 14mm wide angle lens and that made the sun very small in relation to everything else in the picture. That meant that I could expose for the ice and let the sun blow out -- which is appropri5

The highlights are not blown if there is tonality and/or texture in them. For example, in the sky above the giant redwood trees in Sequoia National Park, California, you can see a subtle off-white tone.

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ate because we never see detail in the sun even with our eyes.

In a photo like the one of the flute player in Cuzco, Peru, right, the harsh contrast made this impossible to expose for. The exposure you see here is a compromise between the extremes -- the blindlingly bright wall and the hopelessly dark shadows. One could argue that the semi-silhoeutte works because the hunched shoulders, ragged hat and the defined profile tell a story. I think it’s also true that the bold graphics in this image add artistry. All of that is true, but the washed out sunlit wall, the face in shadow, and the loss of detail in both highlights and shadows has always bothered me about this shot. What I should have done after taking this first picture is pay the musician a little money to move into the shade.

Compare the Peruvian shot with a portrait I made in India, right, during a recent photography tour I led.

In this case, preserving the detail in the highlights -- the white wall, the man’s clothing and his beard -- wasn’t a problem because I took the picture in the shade. Soft, diffused lighting has minimal contrast, and that meant preserving the highlights wasn’t a challenge at all.

Did I still underexpose this image a little? Yes, I did.

I do this virtually all the time because my biggest concern in picture taking, besides making sure my images are sharp, is that I might lose detail in the highlights.

By underexposing only 1/3 f/stop, I knew I would capture all the detail throughout the composition and therefore I could turn my attention to capturing good facial expressions.

Using the underexposure technique may require you to lighten your images in post-processing. Make sure you always shoot in RAW mode for maximum control in preserving detail in your images.

HDR Another way to preserve detail in the highlights is to use the HDR technique. Much has been written about this over the past several years because it’s such an incredible method of expanding the dynamic range of a digital capture. Let me go over the procedure here because I know there are still many photographers who are not using it.

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UPCOMING PHOTO WORKSHOPS Winter Wildlife Workshop Hinckley, Minnesota Jan. 10 - 13, 2013

Frog & Reptile Workshop St. Louis, Missouri June 22 - 23, 2013

Two back-to-back Carnival Workshops, Venice, Italy Feb. 21 - 27 - 23, 2014 Feb. 27 - March 5, 2014

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HDR means high dynamic range. The term dynamic range refers to the ability of a digital sensor to capture detail in the highlights as well as the shadows. HDR is a technique whereby you expand the dynamic range so you can capture all of the rich texture and detail that you could see at the time of shooting.

The procedure is this: Use a tripod and take several different exposures of the same scene. Some are significantly overexposed, some are in the middle, and some are very dark (this is, in essence, bracketing).

I use one f/stop increments between each shot. For each picture you take that will comprise the HDR composite, you have to use the same lens aperture so the depth of field is uniform. It is best to vary the exposure using manual exposure mode while changing the shutter speed only.

The software program you use (either Photoshop CS5 or CS6, HDR Efex Pro by Nik Software, or Photomatix) will then combine the pictures taking the best exposure values from all parts of the image. This results in a composite image that is correctly exposed throughout -- no matter how much contrast you had in the original scene.

The two pictures below that I shot at a bed and breakfast establishment in Mexico illustrate what I’m talking about. This was a situation where the courtyard was open to the sky and the wall on the left was in deep shadow. In the bottom left photo you can see what we always had to settle for in the past. The wall on the left is exposed well but the courtyard open to the sky is overexposed. The picture at bottom right is

Original image, one exposure. I tried to compromise between the shadows and the highlights.

an HDR composite of six different images (i.e. six different exposures). Using this technique, I was able to expose all parts of the image very well. This simulates quite closely what I saw when I stood there composing the scene.

Sure, some photographers go overboard with HDR and their pictures look fake. That’s a particular style, and if you don’t like it, that’s fine. But HDR is a way to prevent blowing the highlights, and you can control the contrast and color saturation so the resulting images look realistic if that’s what you prefer.

Note, though, that HDR can only be used when there is no movement. Architecture and landscapes are perfect subjects for HDR, for example, and so are motionless macro subjects, twilight cityscapes, and still lifes. If there is movement in the scene, such as waves crashing on a beach, blowing leaves or flowers, or pedestrians and cars passing by, the final composite will look like it has a lot of ghosting.

The software I use often is Photomatix, but you can also do this in Photoshop with File > automate > merge to HDR. Alternatively, HDR Efex Pro is available from Nik Software and that does a great job, too.

I use this much of the time. (if you buy any of the Nik plug-ins, including HDR Efex Pro, use the discount code JZUCKERMAN and you’ll save 15%).

Using the HDR Efex Pro from Nik, you can select the group of RAW images in Bridge or Lightroom that will make up the composite, and with the pulldown menu command: Tools > photoshop > merge

HDR composite of six images. The exposure values are perfect throughout the image.

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HDR composite with six images. Using HDR was the only way to prevent the sky from becoming overexpossed.

to HDR Pro, you’ll be taken directly into the HDR program, thus bypassing the need to open each image and save it on your desktop.

Remember that you must use the same lens aperture for all of the HDR images. I typically use f/22 or f/32 because I prefer as much depth of field as possible in most photographic situations. In my opinion, photography is all about capturing the beautiful detail in the subjects we shoot. That’s why I use a small lens aperture, and that’s why the HDR technique is so good -- because it reveals all the detail throughout a scene in the shadows as well as the highlights.

When you are making the bracketed exposures, keep in mind that the lightest picture will appear to be completely blown out in some areas. This is necessary to review the detail in the dark shadows.

The darkest exposure, on the other hand, will look ridiculously dark, but again, this is to reveal detail in the highlights. I’ve shown a set of images that I used for an HDR capture during my photo tour in 10

Vermont, and you can see the range of exposure values. The software sorts all of this out and produces an amazing composite. §

White Horses of the Camargue, France photo workshop April 6 - 13, 2013

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TOPAZ SIMPLIFY Turn Photos Into art

My second favorite Photoshop plug-in, after Flood (which makes realistic reflections), is Simplify 4 made by Topaz Labs. It uniquely transforms photographs into paintings in which the some of the crisp photographic detail is blended into the color of the subject. The results are remarkable. You will feel like an artistic as if you had used oils or acrylics to make a masterpiece on canvas.

As with all techniques in Photoshop, you should start with a photo that is well composed, well illuminated, and one without a distracting background. The adage ‘garbage in, garbage out’ applies to using this plug-in. In other words, don’t start with an uninspiring, boring, or unattractive image and expect to turn it into a work of art. An outdoor portrait, for example, taken in harsh, mid-day sunlight looks bad to begin with, and it won’t translate into something you’ll be proud of.

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Check out these great eBooks click each ebook to see what’s inside

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All of the photographic principles that you use for normal photography still apply. For example, in the portrait of the lion, above, I shot from a low angle to give the cat greater stature, the side lighting looks good, the background is complementary and non-distracting, and the exposure is correct.

This what you want to be aware of when searching for images in your files for this technique.

When you open the dialog box, there are many options. To get the painterly effect you see in the images reproduced with this article, all you need to do is work with one slider: Simplify Size, right.

How far you move the slider depends on the look you want. I usually choose about half way. I never use the Details sliders because they bring back some of the original photograph detail, and personally I think if you are going for a painterly look, then it should have no photographic ‘evidence’, so to speak. In the portrait of a Balinese dancer on the next page, notice how the hair detail and the texture in the fabric has been smoothed.§

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What’s wrong with this picture?

There are several things I like about this picture, so let me mention them first. The backlighting on the bird’s neck feathers is beautiful, and the way the light can be seen through the beak is good. I also like the elegant curvature of the head and neck, and the fact that the background is so out of focus that it’s just a blur of color means that our attention is immediately directed to the subject.

The problem, though, is that the sky is too light. When the background is very light -- lighter than the subject -- it invariably pulls the eye away from the subject, and that’s not indicative of a successful picture.

The other problem is the demarcation line between the light sky and the more muted foliage in the background. It is so priminent and so defined that it, too, pulls our attention from the blue heron.

By changing the angle, using a longer focal length, and by applying some Photoshop expertise, I addressed these issues in the photo on the next page. You can see what an improvement it is. §

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SHORT AND SWEET 1.

Collect pictures of the sky for composite work in Photoshop. So often a new sky transforms a mundane image into a great one. All kinds of skies can be useful -- rainbows, storm clouds, sunsets, puffy white clouds in a blue sky, etc.

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Bold diagonal lines make power compositional statements. Look for diagonals in a wide range of subject matter, from architecture (like this mosque in Istanbul) to trees and even to a model striking a lovely pose. Legs and arms can define attractive diagonals.

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2.

When you travel, use post card images to give you ideas of great subjects to shoot and great angles from which you can photograph them. That’s how I found this village of St. Magdalena in the Italian Alps.

4. You can shoot through clean glass and there will be

no loss in quality. I shot this red-bellied woodpecker through my closed office window with a 500mm telehoto lens and an extension tube. The bird was perched just above my feeder. §

Photography Tours 2013/2014 WHITE HORSES, FRANCE April, 2013

EASTERN TURKEY August, 2013

LONDON/PARIS August, 2013

BHUTAN October, 2013

NAMIBIA November, 2013

COSTA RICA December, 2013

TIGERS & PANDAS in CHINA January, 2014

SOUTHWEST USA March, 2014

MONGOLIA September, 2014

Check out the details and see more photos from each tour on my website: www.jimzuckerman.com 18

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ASK JIM Every month Jim will answer a question from his online students, from people who participate in his tours and workshops, or from subscribers to this magazine.

Q: Given the restrictions on many airlines, how do you pack for a trip?

Ron Paris, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

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I fly out of Nashville, Tennesse, and unfortunately most of the planes are small computer jets with limited overhead compartments. If my trip will be aimed at capturing landscapes, people, cityscapes, etc., where I don’t need a very long lens, I pack all my gear in the LowePro Vertex 200 AW below. If I am going on safari or to a place like Costa Rica where I’ll shoot birds, then I carry my 500mm f/4 telephoto in a separate small bag. Both carryons will fit in the overhead of a computer jet. My tripod hooks onto the LowePro backpack, and when I’m onboard I take it off and it fits easily in the overhead compartment as well.

In the backpack below with very careful arranging, I have: One body, 70-200mm f/2.8 IS, 14mm, 24-105mm, 50mm macro, 15mm fisheye, flash, extension tube set, 1.4x teleconverter, Pocket Wizard, battery recharger, flash cards, microfiber cloth (folded lengthwise and placed under the camera and long lens for extra cushioning).

As I’ve gotten older and heavy gear causes back pain, I sometimes use a bag with wheels. On computer jets, though, I’ll gate-check the roller and carry on the plane the Vertex 200 AW that fits inside the larger bag with wheels. The 500mm lens can be strapped on top of the roller and taken off as I board the plane.§

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Eastern Turkey photo tour August 29 - Sept. 11, 2013

Ancient history - Culture - Archeology - People - Great photography

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Essentials of Landscape Photography

Good landscape photography is not elusive or complicated. The challenge is that you have to invest the time to find the places that are especially beautiful. More specificially, you have to find the rock formation, the meadow of wildflowers, the grove of trees, or the vista that makes a strong composition. This takes time and patience.

Here are the ingredients that go into making dynamic landscapes: 1. The elements should have strong graphic shapes, such as the arch in the Alabama Hills in Lone Pine, California, above.

2. The photograph should have complete depth of field.

This is true virtually without exception. I recommend using f/22 or f/32 for all of your landscape work. This means, of course, that you must use a tripod simply because small lens apertures require slow shutter speeds.

3. You must take advantage of the most beautiful lighting. This means sunrise, sunset, or the soft and dif22

fused light from an overcast sky. Mid-day sunlight ruins all landscape shots with one exception: The tropical aquamarine water of the Caribbean and the South Seas looks best when photographed with direct sunlight.

4. To create a sense of depth in a two dimensional interpretation of what we see in three dimensions, get close to the foreground and use a wide angle lens.

When I say ‘close’, I mean three to five feet from the

immediate foreground to the camera.

5. Make sure that if you include the sky, it is exposed well. Washed out skies look terrible and they seriously detract from your landscape images. Use HDR and/or Photoshop to retain detail, definition, and texture in the sky.

Do all successful landscape pictures have to follow these guidelines? No, but the majority of them should.

Study great landscape images from a variety of wellknown nature photographers, and you will see these principles used over and over.

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Get professional critiques of your work Get professional critiques of your work with Jim’s online courses with Jim’s online courses Betterphoto.com betterphoto.com Learn composition, exposure, Photoshop, fundamentals, techniques in low light photography, flash, making money in photography, and much more.

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Ijen Crater, East Java, Indonesia

Student Showcase

Each month, Jim will feature one or more students who took beautiful and inspiring images on one of his photography tours or workshops. It’s really fascinating how photographers see and compose such different images even though we may go to the same place. Everyone gets great images on my trips.

Cheryl Schneider, Hammond, Louisiana

Many tours/workshops: Frogs, white horses, India, Turkey, winter wildlife, Namibia

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Cheryl Schneider, Hammond, Louisiana

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PHOTOSHOP WORKSHOP in my home Sat. & Sun., January 19, 20

Photoshop is a photographer’s best friend, and the creative possibilities are absolutely endless. In a personal and ‘homey’ environment (I have a very cool classroom setup in my home), I start at the beginning -- assuming you know nothing -- but I quickly get into layers, cutting and pasting, plug-ins, using ‘grunge’ textures, modifying lighting, and a lot more. I promise to fill your head with so many great techniques that you won’t believe what you’ll be able to do.

Photoshop instructors approach teaching this program from different points of view. My approach is to be as expansive in my thinking as possible in creating unique, artistic, and compelling images. In addition to showing you how to use the various tools, pull down menus, layers, and so on, I spend a lot of time giving you

creative ideas that will inspire you to produce amazing images with the pictures you’ve already taken.

I live in the Nashville, Tennessee area, and if you fly into the airport (BNA) I will pick you up. If you drive, I’ll give you my address and you can find it on Mapquest. For the $450 fee, I include one dinner in my home (prepared by my wife who is an amazing cook and hostess) and two lunches, plus shuttling you back and forth from my home to your nearby hotel.

Contact me if you would like to participate in the workshop and I will tell you how to sign up (photos@jimzuckerman.com).

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PHOTO INSIGHTS® published by Jim Zuckerman, all rights reserved © Jim Zuckerman 2012 email: photos@jimzuckerman.com physical address: P.O. Box 7, Arrington, TN 37014

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